Why Can't Moe Just Be Moe?

"Well, take a look! She's super cute, isn't she?
I believe that moe is an essential factor."

Some say that anime as we know it is dying. Some say that things just haven't been the same since K-On! or Lucky☆Star. Female characters are eternally blushing, and their eyes just keep getting bigger and bigger. It's giving all of us anime fans a bad name, they say.

The Golden Episode

Paintings memorialize things, right?
...Even the smile of a cherished person...

Hatsukoi Limited, episode 9

Every so often, I come across an episode of an anime that blows me away. Perhaps you know what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter if it was already one of the most well-made anime I'd ever seen before. The kind of episode I'm talking about stands up and above not just the series it comes from, but nearly any given episode of any anime. An episode like this can be the key in deciding whether I recommend a series to somebody or not. It can boost my opinion of an otherwise mediocre anime significantly. This post will contain a few spoilers, so consider yourself warned.

Bakemonogatari, and Why Shaft is My New Favorite Studio

I don't know everything.
I just happen to know this.

"Her body was absurdly light..."

Art is subjective. Nobody will disagree with that, but many, including myself, would say that it is also objective. There is good and bad art, and even those who can't appreciate certain types of art can usually point out the "better" ones. Why? Because there are rules to art. There are elements that make a work of art objectively "good" or "bad."